Are Mormons Christians Too?

 

Are They Really Christians?
We've all been contacted by Mormons at our front door in the past, and many of us have had discussions with missionaries who tell us that they love Jesus just like we do. In fact, they also tell us that 'Jesus' is a part of the name of their church. So, many of us are wondering if Mormons are Christians. Well, let's start by taking a look at what Mormon Scripture says:

 
1Nephi 14:10
And he said unto me: Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth.

 
This is quite a strong statement from the Book of Mormon. You would think a system that professes to be the only true church and believes these words would try hard to distinguish itself from other religions. And, indeed, for most of their history, Mormons have adamantly preferred not to be included in the mainstream of Christianity (preferring to be known simply as “saints”). It has only been recently that Mormons have wanted to be called Christians and have insisted, in fact, that they ARE Christians. But, listen to the words of their founding father about a revelation he received from two Personages as he describes them:

 
Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith History 1:18,19
“My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. …I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong;…their creeds were an abomination in his sight”.

 
Given the above, why are Mormons now trying to profess to be Christians? The political and economic benefits are obvious. It is also easier to obtain converts from Christian denominations if those converts are unsuspecting of the true nature of Mormonism. On a recent visit to the Mormon L.A. temple, I was very interested to hear the temple missionary state that they were Christians that believe in The Bible, but they all carried around the Book of Mormon because it was lighter in weight. When I asked her why there were no male missionaries conducting tours at the temple, she aptly pointed out that they utilize women in these functions because women are more approachable than men. These items reinforced to me that there is a well implemented PR campaign by the Mormon church to clear up their stigma of being a cult.

So, Exactly Why Aren't Mormons Christian?
Mormonism is an unorthodox religion whose members are devoted to a prominent figure. It claims to be Christian but denies the essentials of true biblical Christianity. Please note that all cults either humanize God, deify man, deny the identity and work of Christ, reject the authority of the Bible or claim new revelation from God. Mormonism does all of these things. Note the following:

 
“Remember that God, our heavenly Father, was perhaps once a child, a mortal like we ourselves, and rose step by step in the scale of progress, in the school of advancement; has moved forward and overcome, until He has arrived at the point were He is.” (LDS Apostle Orson Hyde, Journal of Discourses, vol.1 page 123)

 
Lorenzo Snow, late President of the Mormon church, made this statement in the second verse of his famous poem entitled, “Man’s Destiny”:

 
As Abra’m, Isaac, Jacob, too, babes, then men—to gods they grew.
As man now is, our God once was; As now God is, so man may be,--
Which doth unfold man’s destiny…”

 
They Have Put Their Faith in a Different God
Contrary to the Mormon belief, the God of the Bible is clearly NOT an exalted man. The God of the Bible is omnipresent (Jer 23:24), omnipotent (Col 1:16), and omniscient (Rom 11:33-36). The Bible says He is the only God (Isa 44:6,8) and there are no other Gods (Isa 43:10-11). He had no beginning or end (Heb 7:3) and he is a spirit being (John 4:24) and never was a man (Num 23:19).

It is important to realize that many Mormons may not be aware of these differences and their importance. They have grown up in their church system. Their lives are structured around Joseph Smith, LDS functions, LDS duties, LDS jobs and family ties.

They Have Put Their Faith in Themselves
Mormons are people just like you and I, with all our human frailties and notions. The difference is that they have been brought up with some very direct lies. They are told that Jesus is key to their salvation but also told they must do many other things that were 'revealed' by men since the time of Jesus in order to assure their salvation. The number of lies to uncover is too numerous to examine here, but I encourage you to discover them yourself. Use this site as a stepping stone and learn about the Truth. There are a number of articles in the left menu bar, and you'll also find a wonderful thesis paper in the grey portion of the menu bar that was written by an ex-Mormon who has come to discover the truth.

For those of you who are Christian, please examine the Mormon articles to familiarize yourself with the differences between Christianity and Mormonism. Inoculate yourself from Mormon beliefs that will lead you away from trusting Jesus alone for your salvation. If you are a Mormon, it is our prayer that you will read the articles and realize that only Christianity truly trusts in Jesus alone for our salvation. Only Christianity represents the truth about God. And Christianity alone speaks of total surrender to Jesus Christ and the type of saving faith that leads to eternal life!